Quiz

A very misleading mini series.

It is well made as light entertainment goes and the acting is generally very good with the glaring exception of 'Ingram' who, when portrayed in the chair, is a noticeably different character than you can see on the real how.

The trial is also changed to make interesting television rather than a fair account of the evidence presented.

So - 8 for entertainment and 2 for accuracy.

This was a very entertaining three part drama from ITV about how James Ingram and his wife allegedly cheated there way winning a million pounds on the quiz show "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire ".

I can assure you without giving anything away, after the final episode you like me will think the Ingram's were hard done by. And yet in a court of law with two of the countries finest barristers and a jury they were found guilty. This is because we only see the case for the defence and hardly any of the prosecution. In fact all three episodes felt like it was made by the Ingrams to make them look the victims.

However that apart I did learn a lot about the quizzing community who had devised a way of beating the phone in system to get themselves on the show. (You would have thought the producers suspected something when one contestant made it on the show four times!)

All the performances are excellent in particular Michael Sheen as the quiz host Chris Tarrent. 8/10

Though I let it pass me by when it aired, it's appearance on the Guardian's "TV of the year" list led to me giving "Quiz" a try. Though I accept people's frustration that the series doesn't want to prescribe guilt to its famous couple, in and of itself it's in interesting insight to the levels of manipulation seemingly innocuous and trustworthy institutions can fall foul too.

When the UK television production company Celador arrive at an idea for a new gameshow, they couldn't have predicted the unprecedented success that the show would be. "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" would become an worldwide phenomenon, but with their high profile, and the considerable prize on offer, inventive groups found a way to bend the show to their advantage. Into this, Major Charles Ingram (Matthew Macfadyen) follows his wife and brother-in-law into the hotseat, but unlike them he win's the top prize. However, accusations of cheating, particularly a conspiracy with coughing members of the audience, follow soon after.

Though the story clearly gets some people enraged, if it was 100% a work of fiction then it would be judged as a slightly farfetched but truly enjoyable miniseries. The performances are good, not just from the main cast but from numerous supporting performers like Helen McCrory, Aisling Bea, Elliot Levey and Nicholas Woodeson. Macfadyen and Sian Clifford do a great job of keeping the Ingram's as slightly odd but not unlikeable, which helps sell the indecision about their guilt. Personally, I didn't like this Michael Sheen impression as much as I have done some of the others, I don't feel he caught Chris Tarrant as well as he did Brian Clough, or Tony Blair. Some aspects of the story are really fascinating, not so much the actual Ingram saga, as the levels of manipulation that the show suffered. It suggests that a small but organised group of people managed to influence who made it onto the show and abused the phone-a-friend aspect.

As mentioned, the show works very hard to provide what might be considered a balanced view, which I suppose is noble, but betrays the truth somewhat. Though the Ingram's maintain their innocence and the show presents a very strong argument for them, they were found guilty by a jury, and fairly quickly too. As a report of history, I'd accept that the show is questionable - but as entertainment I'd say just ask the audience.

The best ... or worst ... about this was Sheen's masterful portrayal of the awful Tarrant with all his smugness, witless, often embarrassing comments to and about competitors and partners and his dreadful contorted facials. He eventually made the show unwatchable for me. Well done Sheen for an accurate portrayal of this staggeringly overrated unpleasant presenter.

I enjoyed it as a drama, but it left a lot to be desired when dealing with fact and adding fiction.